


a message from the heart

by sleepy_ramtsun



Series: Tiny Worlds Made in Less Than Five Thousand Words [5]
Category: A3! (Video Game)
Genre: Eventual Romance, Fluff, Inspired by In a Heartbeat (Short Film), M/M, Mutual Pining, Not Beta Read, Pre-Relationship, bansaku nation this is my offering, sakuya-centric, slight angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-11
Updated: 2021-02-11
Packaged: 2021-03-17 08:54:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,439
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29347707
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sleepy_ramtsun/pseuds/sleepy_ramtsun
Summary: Sakuya was content with admiring Banri from afar, to watch him bloom so brilliantly with the world at his fingertips and the easy confidence cloaking him like a robe fit for a king.His heart, however, had different plans.
Relationships: Sakuma Sakuya/Settsu Banri
Series: Tiny Worlds Made in Less Than Five Thousand Words [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1020420
Comments: 8
Kudos: 27





	a message from the heart

**Author's Note:**

> It was...a fever dream to write this.
> 
> And truly, I enjoyed writing this a lot so I hope you will too as you read! In a Heartbeat holds a special place in my heart and when I saw it on my tl, I just got this brilliant idea of making a bansaku au about this? I tweaked some parts to suit the idea and dynamics of these two that I had in mind but a lot of elements were inspired by that wonderful short film :D
> 
> Reading this probably sounds a little rushed because I was having a race with my brain to write out all of this before I forget ;-; but without further ado, this is my offering to the bansaku santion! 
> 
> Some notes that were vaguely implied in this fic-verse:  
> \- Masumi and Sakuya were adopted into the Minagi household;  
> \- Banri is part of the soccer club (my brain ran along with this i'm sorry); and  
> \- Masumi always gets dragged by Sakuya to watch Banri's games and the like so he's very much aware of how hard his brother is crushing in on with that guy named Banri

* * *

“Come on, Masumi! We’ll be late!”

Sakuya tries in vain to tug off the navy-blue covers, pulling and pulling until a disheveled bedhead and hazy purple eyes emerged from the lump on the bed. The sheets rustle, moving and sliding against each other as the other dark-haired teen slowly slumps over the bed into a sitting lump of blankets, eyes slowly turning to stare at Sakuya’s form with a faintly dead-eyed look. He waits, socked toes curling expectantly underneath his sneakers as Masumi blinks slow and then another…only to wilt when the other flopped back down on the bed after giving his form a full once-over.

“Masumi!” he whines, leaning forward to tug back the cover from those death grip with more persistence than before. “We’re going to be late if you don’t get up now!”

“Classes don’t start for an hour an’ a half,” comes the croaky grumble, one glaring eye peeking back up from the blankets as Masumi gives him a sleepy-eyed glare. “Go follow Settsu on your own.”

“I’m not stalking him!” Sakuya squeaks, cheeks heating up as he raises a judging eyebrow in response. “I-I just wanna attend the soccer club’s morning practice…!…s’ all…”

Because he is definitely _not_ stalking anyone, no.

“When you’re not even a member,” Masumi mumbles around a yawn, forcefully tugging the blankets away from Sakuya’s grip before wrapping it more firmly around himself as he curls up on his bed. “You’re a bad liar, Sakuya.”

Yeah, he _is_ a bad liar. That much, he could admit, but—!

“But can’t you get up early with me for the last time?” Sakuya wheedled as he crouches down to level his face beside the bed, hands resting on the edge as he looks hopefully at the other’s drowsy stare. “This will really be the last, I promise!”

The last…

The last time before Sakuya had to bury this niggling crush over one Settsu Banri.

“Promise!” He repeats when Masumi took too long in answering, even if his heart beats a little faster when he thinks of that confident smirk and eyes filled with so much happiness and passion like the world still had to offer him something more. Even if the familiar concoction of excitement and dread starts to curl up within his stomach at the thought of seeing him again because really…

This has to…stop.

Both for his sake, and for the sake of his heart.

~~(After all, in what universe would ever allow someone like Settsu Banri to really look at him and consider something that’s worth liking?)~~

Unfortunately for him though, he had failed to acquire a Masumi on the way to Hanasaki High.

Well, at least Tsuzuru gave him his lunch before letting him off and out of home with a grin.

“This is going to be really the last,” Sakuya mutters to himself as he weaves through the early morning crowd, one hand clutching the strap of his bag tighter as his heart thuds a familiar rhythm that he had long since come to associate with one particular person.

This will be the last time, he chants to himself like a litany of reassurances that never seemed to do their work very well, the last morning that he’ll spend for Settsu Banri and give himself some peace of mind as he puts this matter behind him altogether. A last morning that he’ll delude himself into as another day of trying to get close to Banri.

And well, it’s not like he has a chance with him anyway.

What chance would someone like him have even with someone that has the world and all the possibilities of a bright future all laid out at his feet?

Settsu Banri was something so brilliant, a force of nature that makes it hard to keep one’s eyes off and Sakuya only needed to take one look at him to be swept away. There was this spark in his eyes, a look filled with so much eagerness and sheer passion as he evades his enemies on the field and succeeds in obtaining a point as the soccer ball hits the net of the goal. The ambition, the drive, and the utter confidence despite every hurdle, all of it had grabbed Sakuya’s heart in the tightest of holds, as Banri showed him how exactly he could stand up to the too-cruel world and bare his teeth back at it instead of just passively taking everything.

Defiant and unyielding, if those two words defined real people, then perhaps, Settsu Banri had represented the both of it the best.

So Sakuya takes a deep breath as he rounds the corner to greet the school gates, a hand placed over his thundering heart and excitement bleeds an energy that spreads across his limbs.

This is the last, he pauses just a little way away from the opened gates of the main entrance, steadying himself for a moment before letting out a breath. _The last time he’ll delude himself with the possibility of getting closer to an unreachable sun._

His feet trace the steps leading to the school field, following a familiar pattern that makes his stomach churn as he catches sight of Banri’s moving form.

There—!

Thankfully, Sakuya wasn’t too late yet as he tries to get a good spot to hide within the gardens without losing sight of the light-haired boy. Banri yawns as he trudges through the stone path, gym bag hung over his left shoulder. Carefully, _quickly,_ Sakuya dives to the towering bushes and behind the trees, closing and widening the gap between them like a dance that he only knew how to with his heart beating so loud between his ears.

Prudently, he takes a mental note to make it up to the kind-eyed gardener that always gives him candies and snacks when Sakuya meets him after stepping all over the gardens and probably killing a few flowers and plants along th— _thwack!_

His breath hitches in his throat, hurriedly crouching down behind the tree before Banri could even see a glimpse of his hair. His head throbs faintly at hitting one of the overhead tree branches, but it was nothing more than an afterthought in the face of potentially getting discovered…!

Sakuya slightly feels dizzy with how fast his heart was beating, legs slightly shaking as he tries not to slump down too hard against the bark of the tree. He takes in a series of deep breaths, trying to calm himself down a little for a short while before following Banri again…until he hears an almost inaudible pop—and then the strange lightness that seemed to have overtaken his body.

He freezes.

A second. Then two.

And Cor gives out the happiest of coos that had never provoked such fear and anxiety within the maroon-haired male. His spiritual heart smiles at him, eyes wandering around curiously until it lands on Banri’s retreating back. And like a lightbulb turning on at a flick of the switch, Cor lights up in a brilliant shade of red as he lets out a series of delighted croons.

No. Nonononono _NO!_

Frantically, he scrambles to cup the semi-solid heart-shaped entity with his hands, only to fall short as the spirit launches themselves up and running towards one very— _oh god—_ very familiar back.

His eyes widened in horror; a lump uncomfortably lodged in the back of his throat as he rushed to run after his heart and get them before they could even touch a strand on Banri’s head.

All without attracting the other’s attention, _please._

Sakuya doesn’t think he can survive at the idea of their first meeting looking like this…not when Banri could also see his heart and people can only see the spiritual hearts when they’re the subject of that person’s love and oh, _oh_ _how Sakuya doesn’t want to be looked at differently with his affection fluttering happily around Banri’s face like—like that…!_

Fervently, he prays that Cor would somehow know exactly just how much in distress his partner is in _because this is definitely not doing good on his actual heart…!_ only to feel his stomach drop on the literal soles of his feet when the spirit giggles at him as they deftly evaded his hands from where Sakuya was struggling to catch him from behind Banri’s back. Even worse, was how Cor seemed to shoot up front in a burst of speed after his right hand had come too close to grab their arm, exactly hovering just above Banri’s head and if the other had soon opened his eyes and tilted his head up a little after yawning, he would very much most definitely see Cor and—!

“I’m so sorry!” Sakuya’s voice cracks in the middle of his sentence, ears burning in absolute humiliation and embarrassment as Banri flinches in surprise and starts to turn his head to look at him _but no matter what, he really really can’t afford to let Banri see his heart_.

Sakuya can deal with everything later but just—!

He barges into the other’s personal space to catch Cor once and for all, trying to ignore how close he is to Banri and how he’s definitely so much taller and prettier up close than Sakuya had ever seen and oh, his heart is thundering that familiar rhythm that he had long since came to associate with one boy named Banri Settsu that he was half-afraid that the other could hear him.

“Wha…?” he hears Banri’s confused mumble before his sharp inhale of surprise as Sakuya under his arm and around him in a frantic manner, seemingly trying to catch something and growing more and more frustrated by the second that he fails to get a hold of that something. “Wait, Sakuma…Sakuya?”

Sakuya went deathly still, enough that even Cor had to pause and let out a concerned and inquiring croon.

“You’re Sakuma, right?” Banri’s voice carries a little tint of drowsiness that slowly disappears as he shifts in his place, subtly straightening as vivid heliotrope meets his eyes. He runs a hand through his hair, and Sakuya could have sworn that he caught a glimpse of hesitance in his expression before it was wiped off.

“I—y-yes!” They both winced a little at the volume of his reply, making Sakuya flail a little he quickly attempts to apologize. “Ah, I’m so sorry Ban—Settsu-kun!”

That’s it.

The absolute mortification that Sakuya is feeling right now will never top off anything else because stupid, _stupid mouth why did you have to utter his name like you’re his friend?_ and the urge to bury his face in hands was so strong because the sheer embarrassment was too much…! A part of him wants to cry out of frustration but an even larger part of him wants to just like, **_hide._**

Maybe be a ghost for the rest of the school year and drag Masumi back home as soon as the last bell rings so that no one can see him, yes.

Point is, this is not what Sakuya had expected when he told himself that this is going to be the last time that he’ll follow Banri.

Not this chaos, not meeting his inspiration ~~(and crush)~~ like this and getting to talk to him even…!

(And Banri knows his name.)

“Well,” Banri clears his throat, cheeks seemingly flushing a little as he pins Sakuya a curious, if not, an amused gaze. “What are you looking around for this early?”

“N-Nothing!” Sakuya waves off the question, lips curving into as wide of a smile as he can to hide his unease _because he still hasn’t captured his sneaky sneaky heart spirit before Banri started talking to him._

But as if to prove him wrong, Cor lets out a musical croon, filled with so much elation and joy and happiness that it catches Banri’s attention from behind, the taller boy tilting his head to look around for the source of the noise before the heart spirit nuzzles his cheeks with a delighted coo. Shades of pink and brilliant red colors the near-tangible spirit, their expression filled with glee and affection as Banri tenderly cups the spirit in his hands.

“A heart…spirit…?” The hushed, tone filled with wonder and awe…and something else prompts Sakuya to look up from covering his eyes with his hands, breath hitching a little when he saw how gently the other was holding his heart, the very spiritual personification of his love, in his own two hands and it’s making him feel so many emotions that threatens to make tears well up into his eyes as realization soon dawns into Banri’s eyes.

“Y-You can say what you want…!” Sakuya hurries to put in, almost closing the distance between them before catching him just in time and just resorting to wring his hands nervously as Banri slightly tensed. “Just, just don’t hurt them…please.”

Sakuya was fine with the rejection, but Cor doesn’t deserve to be hurt in the process. Not when the other just…just wants to let Banri know how much he loves him, of the love and happiness that he made him feel.

“Hah, looks like I’ll have to pay up to Tenma and Hyodo after all.”

He tilts his head at the mention of two other vaguely familiar names, confused at the implication of payment…until something soft brushes against his cheeks.

He turns to look for the culprit, only to see a heart spirit colored with hints of darker crimson and a curiously happy expression giggling right in front of his face.

They float across him with the brightest of smiles, carrying a message that he’d never expected get.

_Oh._

Sakuya meets Banri’s vaguely hopeful look, the faintest tint of pink spreading across his cheeks in the same way that he could feel his own heat up from happiness and surprise and maybe a little too much… _awe._

Banri’s own heart spirit flutters beside him before resting on Sakuya shoulder, prompting the light-haired boy to clear his throat after taking a glance at their current perch.

“Practice is going to be short today,” Banri starts, voice a little halting but not breaking eye contact as his lips curve into an uncertain smile. “So there’s enough time to catch some breakfast before first period starts…?”

And although Sakuya was still unsure, and maybe more than half-convinced that this was all a dream, he can’t help but reach out to the tentative offer with a hopeful smile of his own.

“Sure.”

Perhaps the day will offer him, the both of them, more unexpected surprises yet.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

> Let me know what you think of in the comments!


End file.
